Throughout my life, I have thought a great deal about what I want to be in the future and what I would want to do with my life. Academically, I have always done well and I was constantly told that the choices for my future profession were broad. I considered pursuing a career as a doctor, a pharmacist, and an engineer. I finally came to the realization that my true calling was in the field of education. However, this seed did not get planted on its own. I have had a few teachers throughout my educational career and adult role models throughout my life that inspired me to pursue this career and devote my life to teaching.
The first two people that definitely led me to see my true calling were my parents. As a child, I grew up in an environment that consisted entirely of teachers. My mother is a math teacher at Coventry High School, my father is a guidance counselor at Exeter West Greenwich High School, and even my older sister is a science teacher in Franklin Massachusetts. I would always see my parents come home from school and I would listen to the stories of their students and I would see the joy and excitement that they had for the teaching profession. Through their example, I have observed the hard work and dedication that goes into becoming a successful and passionate teacher. I remember asking them hundreds of questions when I was younger about what it was like to be a teacher. They would explain everything to me and even encouraged my to play “school” with my sister and my friends. When I was in elementary school we would set up a small chalkboard and teach each other about different things that we found interesting. I would get so excited about this and I would think about how great it would be to have an entire class of students in front of me. My parents definitely planted (and nurtured) the “seed”. From those experiences I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to the profession as much as my parents did.
With my parents’ encouragement it was then up to me to decide which subject I would want to teach. I was always an incredibly curious person throughout my youth. I would catch bugs to observe them under a microscope. I would experiment with my bouncy balls and I would be amazed at how certain things worked. I have always been a scientist and science has certainly always intrigued me. However, when I was young I figured that I would become primarily a math teacher just like my mother. It wasn’t until high school that I realized just how much I would love to teach science (in particular physics).
My high school physics teacher Mr. Golas definitely inspired me to become a science teacher. He was different from other science teachers that I had had because he focused so much on applying the physical concepts to the world around us. We performed demonstrations and activities that enabled us to use the concepts and apply them to our own lives. It was then that I realized how broad the subject of science really is and how applicable it is to the world around us. I wanted to become a teacher so that I could lead other students to have this same revelation. Mr. Golas was the teacher who helped me see the beauty of physics and I want to be that teacher for my future students. I also interned with Mr. Golas for a semester during my senior year of high school and I got to observe a lower level physics class. This experience made me realize that not everyone sees the subject the way that I see it. Physics has a bad reputation and many kids come into class with a bad attitude towards the subject. I want to become a teacher to help to change this reputation and show students that physics can be fun and intriguing. I feel as though I can adapt some of Mr. Golas’ teaching techniques and incorporate some of my own to accomplish this. My experience in Mr. Golas’ classroom definitely further nourished the teaching “seed” that had been planted in my youth.
The final person that inspired me to become a teacher is actually not a single teacher but a group of teachers. A group of bad teachers. Throughout my educational career I have had a number of horrible teachers who did not seem to have any sort of passion or excitement about teaching or about the subject matter that they taught. They seemed upset with the system and frustrated with the students and this just led to a horrible learning environment. These experiences inspired me to break this mold and become the ideal teacher that I wish that I had had all throughout my own education. So in a way, negative experiences in my educational career actually made me want to be a teacher even more!
I am excited to start teaching in the coming year and I am thankful for all of the experiences and people throughout my childhood that led me to choose this path in life.
4.5/5 Nice job, David. You could strengthen a bit by filling out your concluding paragraph so that it sums up the inspirations you mention earlier. - fogleman Sep 25, 2011
The first two people that definitely led me to see my true calling were my parents. As a child, I grew up in an environment that consisted entirely of teachers. My mother is a math teacher at Coventry High School, my father is a guidance counselor at Exeter West Greenwich High School, and even my older sister is a science teacher in Franklin Massachusetts. I would always see my parents come home from school and I would listen to the stories of their students and I would see the joy and excitement that they had for the teaching profession. Through their example, I have observed the hard work and dedication that goes into becoming a successful and passionate teacher. I remember asking them hundreds of questions when I was younger about what it was like to be a teacher. They would explain everything to me and even encouraged my to play “school” with my sister and my friends. When I was in elementary school we would set up a small chalkboard and teach each other about different things that we found interesting. I would get so excited about this and I would think about how great it would be to have an entire class of students in front of me. My parents definitely planted (and nurtured) the “seed”. From those experiences I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to the profession as much as my parents did.
With my parents’ encouragement it was then up to me to decide which subject I would want to teach. I was always an incredibly curious person throughout my youth. I would catch bugs to observe them under a microscope. I would experiment with my bouncy balls and I would be amazed at how certain things worked. I have always been a scientist and science has certainly always intrigued me. However, when I was young I figured that I would become primarily a math teacher just like my mother. It wasn’t until high school that I realized just how much I would love to teach science (in particular physics).
My high school physics teacher Mr. Golas definitely inspired me to become a science teacher. He was different from other science teachers that I had had because he focused so much on applying the physical concepts to the world around us. We performed demonstrations and activities that enabled us to use the concepts and apply them to our own lives. It was then that I realized how broad the subject of science really is and how applicable it is to the world around us. I wanted to become a teacher so that I could lead other students to have this same revelation. Mr. Golas was the teacher who helped me see the beauty of physics and I want to be that teacher for my future students. I also interned with Mr. Golas for a semester during my senior year of high school and I got to observe a lower level physics class. This experience made me realize that not everyone sees the subject the way that I see it. Physics has a bad reputation and many kids come into class with a bad attitude towards the subject. I want to become a teacher to help to change this reputation and show students that physics can be fun and intriguing. I feel as though I can adapt some of Mr. Golas’ teaching techniques and incorporate some of my own to accomplish this. My experience in Mr. Golas’ classroom definitely further nourished the teaching “seed” that had been planted in my youth.
The final person that inspired me to become a teacher is actually not a single teacher but a group of teachers. A group of bad teachers. Throughout my educational career I have had a number of horrible teachers who did not seem to have any sort of passion or excitement about teaching or about the subject matter that they taught. They seemed upset with the system and frustrated with the students and this just led to a horrible learning environment. These experiences inspired me to break this mold and become the ideal teacher that I wish that I had had all throughout my own education. So in a way, negative experiences in my educational career actually made me want to be a teacher even more!
I am excited to start teaching in the coming year and I am thankful for all of the experiences and people throughout my childhood that led me to choose this path in life.
4.5/5 Nice job, David. You could strengthen a bit by filling out your concluding paragraph so that it sums up the inspirations you mention earlier. -